Analyzing and refuting the inaccuracies lodged against the lgbt community by religious conservative organizations. Lies in the name of God are still lies.

Thursday, March 24, 2016

The Family Research Council omits truth about North Carolina's anti-gay law

Family Research Council president Tony Perkins

I knew that the Family Research Council would gloat about North Carolina's new law, HB2, but even I am a bit put off by the organization's celebratory email. I am going to post FRC's entire statement coming from its president, Tony Perkins:

Yesterday, leaders in North Carolina achieved more in a day than many
state leaders have been able to accomplish in years. In a single-day
special session, legislators passed
and the governor signed into law protections for the privacy of
children and women using school and public bathrooms, showers, and
locker rooms in the Tar Heel state. Governor Pat McCrory (R), Lt. Gov.
Dan Forest (R), and House Speaker Tim Moore (R) are to be commended for a
day's work well done!

A month ago, the Charlotte City Council revived and passed a previously failed effort
to establish special rights for people who identify as transgender. The
law added "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" (SOGI) to the list
of protected classes like race, national origin, and sex to the city's
nondiscrimination code. The change was billed as "tolerant" and
"inclusive," but as we've seen time and again it effectively opened
every public bathroom, every gym shower, and every school locker room in
the city to anyone, regardless of their biological sex. Despite
thousands of calls, emails, and testimony from Charlotte residents --
including the Benham brothers
-- who have experienced first-hand the heightened hostility and
discrimination against Christians who hold to a biblical view of
marriage and sexuality, the Council voted to force all businesses and
places of public accommodation in city limits to recognize every
person's preferred "gender identity" or face heavy fines and penalties.

This is where the Left leads us when left unchecked by common sense: The privacy of women and children
must be sacrificed on the altar of political correctness. This reckless
abandon of common sense threatens the safety and freedoms of Americans
from Seattle to Houston.

Thankfully, state leaders stood up and common sense prevailed
yesterday in North Carolina, days before the Charlotte ordinance was set
to take effect. Even before the Council voted, Gov. McCrory and Lt.
Gov. Forest (who presides over the Senate) made it abundantly clear that
they would act to protect North Carolinians. The new law, Gov. McCrory warned,
would "create major public safety issues." "It is not only the citizens
of Charlotte that will be impacted by changing basic restroom and
locker room norms," he wrote, "but also citizens from across our state
and nation who visit and work in Charlotte."

Lt. Gov. Forest was even more direct:
"Girls' bathrooms are for girls, boys' bathrooms are for boys. The fact
we are even debating this is a sad commentary on where we are as a
society."

If you live in North Carolina, please take a moment to thank Gov. McCrory, Lt. Governor Forest, and Speaker Moore
for their courage in the face of fierce opposition on social media,
staged protests to disrupt debate, and Democratic drama as Democrats in
the Senate walked-out. Because these men refused to be bullied and
intimidated, North Carolina becomes the third state (after Tennessee and
Arkansas) to protect its citizens in bathrooms and locker rooms.

And no matter where you live, take a moment to tell your elected officials
that you support protecting the rights of the majority of Americans who
continue to believe in biblical sexuality and natural marriage.

Other than the deliberate appeal to fear mongering and lies about the transgender community, can you tell me what ELSE is wrong with the Family Research Council's statement. Isn't it missing one very HUGE detail about North Carolina's new law?

How about the simple fact that HB2 does more than supposedly "protect public safety." The law eliminates any and all non-discrimination ordinances in the state which would protect all members of the lgbt community.

The state has undone not just local ordinances protecting transgender people, but all LGBT nondiscrimination provisions across
the state. Literally overnight, people in Charlotte and across North
Carolina can now be fired from their jobs for being gay, turned away at
hotel chains for being gay, and even forced to show their genitals to a
police officer if the cop thinks they might be transgender.

House Bill 2 mandates that state law supersedes all local ordinances concerning wages, employment, and public accommodations.

Holden also pointed out that until yesterday, nine other jurisdictions in NC had ordinances similar to Charlotte's

Lastly, this Human Rights Campaign graphic says it all:

We shouldn't fool ourselves as to why the Family Research Council conveniently omitted the full repercussions of HB2.

FRC knows what this awful law does in its entirety. The organization knows fully well that the law now leaves lgbts in North Carolina defenseless against discrimination. And I'm willing to wager that members of the organization are practically giddy over this fact.

But Perkins and the rest of FRC also know that there is no way they can defend what this law does. Attempting to address the elimination of rights would totally destroy the narrative of "public safety." So rather than try to put lipstick on this pig, so to speak, FRC has hidden the pig deep in the barn while it distracts everyone with the shiny distraction of "men lurking in ladies restrooms."

As discussion about HB2 continue, FRC's shady behavior should serve as a warning about the truth regarding these "bathroom bills." Let's not forget to remind everyone about this fact every chance we get.

3 comments:

Oh, and both Romer AND Evans say "hi!". Mike Pence sends his regards as well all the way from (now) LGBT friendlier Indiana because he tried this, too.

It's pretty interesting how this new fad for antigay "law"-making will finally point out the civic need for LGBTQIs nationwide to be treated with "Heightened Scrutiny" in any and all future court conflicts. essentially removing any need for ENDA federal protections, because it will be determined that the US Constitution covers us all, equally.

About Me

Alvin McEwen is 45-year-old African-American gay man who resides in Columbia, SC.
McEwen's blog, Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters, and writings have been mentioned by Americablog.com, Goodasyou.org, People for the American Way, PageOneQ.com, The Washington Post, Raw Story, The Advocate, Media Matters for America, Crooksandliars.com, Thinkprogress.org, Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish, Melissa Harris-Perry, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, Newsweek, The Daily Beast, The Washington Blade, and Foxnews.com.
In addition, he is also a past contributor to Pam's House Blend,Justice For All, LGBTQ Nation, and Alternet.org. He is a present contributor to the Daily Kos and the Huffington Post,
He is the 2007 recipient of the Harriet Daniels Hancock Volunteer of the Year Award and the 2010 recipient of the Order of the Pink Palmetto from the SC Pride Movement as well as the 2009 recipient of the Audre Lorde/James Baldwin Civil Rights Activist Award from SC Black Pride. In addition, he is a three-time nominee of the Ed Madden Media Advocacy Award from SC Pride.